A novel published by Cassava Republic Press has been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, marking a milestone for the Abuja founded publisher.
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson made the final list of six books competing for the prize, one of the most recognised awards for women’s writing in English.
The shortlisting is the first for Cassava Republic Press in the history of the prize, which was founded in 1996. It is also a notable moment for independent African publishing on the global stage.
In a statement, the publisher said the recognition goes beyond a single book and reflects wider progress for underrepresented voices in literature.
“This is the first time; an African and Black women-owned small press have ever reached this shortlist in the prize’s thirty-year history. The publishing house also noted that the recognition affirms what Cassava Republic has always believed: that Black stories, complex, tender, and unflinching belong at the centre of global literary culture, not at its margins.”
Founder and publishing director Bibi Bakare-Yusuf said the achievement reflects the vision behind the company.
“We are honoured, and we are proud. This is what independent, Black-owned publishing is for – not as a corrective to the mainstream, but as a home. A place where a writer can debut at sixty. Where a story rooted in Black British life can be treated with the full literary ambition it deserves. We started in Abuja twenty years ago with passion and an unshakeable belief that African storytelling belonged to the world. Today, the world agrees.”
Founded in Abuja in 2006, Cassava Republic Press has built a catalogue of African and diaspora writing over nearly two decades.
Hutchinson, a British-Jamaican lawyer, community activist and MBE recipient, published her first novel at the age of 60. The Mercy Step was rejected by more than 50 publishers before it was accepted by Cassava Republic.
Set in 1960s Bradford, the novel follows Mercy, the youngest child in a Jamaican family of the Windrush generation. The story explores domestic life shaped by violence, faith and family bonds, told through a child’s perspective.
The book has drawn praise from critics and authors. The Observer described it as “dark and humorous storytelling that passionately captures the unique realities of the northern Black experience, told with imaginative power from a child’s vantage point.”
Actor and author Paterson Joseph called it “a moving and perfectly observed slice of Black British life with the hallmarks of a modern classic,” while writer Irenosen Okojie said it is “a brilliant debut with a child protagonist impossible to look away from.”
The Women’s Prize shortlist features six books selected from an initial longlist of 16 titles.
The prize, awarded annually to the best full length novel written in English by a woman and published in the UK, comes with a £30,000 cash award and a bronze statuette.
The winner of the 2026 edition will be announced on June 11 in London.
The paperback edition of The Mercy Step was released on April 30.
